Happy Fourth of July!

Leave the fireworks up to the professionals folks ...

Don't drink and drive ...

Have a safe and happy Fourth of July ...

Sunday reading

... We finally got back to playing baseball today. After three weeks of being rained out.

... And yet we nearly got rained out again this week. We actually warmed up in a light rain, but it stopped a few minutes before game time.

... Maybe we should've stayed home anyway. The game was a joke. Our worst of the season. We flat out weren't in the game.

... As the visiting team, we batted first and got one run across.

... Let's just say the other team got a few more. A lot more. ... Round and round the bases they went.

... In the meantime, their pitcher seemed to get better and better as the game went on. He struck out five batters in the first three innings -- including me.

... It wasn't until our last at-bats that we actually let go, started smiling, having some fun ... and scoring some runs. I walked and later scored, and I think we got like four or five runs across the plate. But by then it was too late ...

... I don't even know what the final score was. I do know our record is 1-4, and we need some practice. Badly.

Here's some of the good reads I stumbled upon this last week ...
a For diehard fans, a stadium sleepover makes for a field of dreams
a Milwaukee’s Prince: Cecil’s son own man in majors
a White Sox face new obstacle in Tigers

a Elmo: What a Firecracker! ... awwwwww! That Elmo!

a Buzzed-about album on deck for Hilton; now that’s hot ... hear me groaning at the thought? If you only you could see me rolling my eyes too ...
a Internet jukeboxes: Transforming an icon ... you can update the jukebox as much you want, but it's always going to be cool to play with.

Summerfest. Day #2

Let's just say Day 2 went a whole lot better than Day 1 ... (not that Day 1 was that bad ...)

... I left the house at almost the exact same time as Friday night. But this time, when I got to the Park & Ride lot, there were plenty of parking spots to be had. They hadn't even bothered putting the overflow signs up ... nice. Plus, I'd brought enough one bills this time so the bus driver didn't have to get me change.

Once at the Summerfest grounds, I found myself gravitating toward the Briggs & Stratton Stage again. Funny, in all my past years at Summerfest, I've hovered around the U.S. Cellular Stage (formerly the Piggly Wiggly stage) and the Miller Lite Oasis --stages generally reserved for the younger crowds and current, hip acts. Until this year, I'd never seen a show at the Briggs stage, and now here I was for the second time in as many nights (I must be getting old ...) ... this time waiting to see the Go-Gos ... woo hoo!

So I got my bucket of Mountain Dew (seriously. The cups they sell at Summerfest are so big, I call them buckets ...) and grabbed a seat. There was about 2 1/2 hours before the Go-Gos were scheduled to come on at 10, and still plenty of seats. On stage was the Briggs Bluesbusters, who according to the schedule had already been playing for about an hour and a half. A decent classic rock cover band with 13! members ... they kept switching in and out so not all of them were on stage together until the finale, but I counted as many as four guitarists, two keyboard/organ players, a couple women doing tamborines and vocals, a guy doing sax and flute duty and the drummer. One of the guitarists also was a former member of The Grassroots, which helped the band do a great cover of 'Temptation Eyes.'

... Even when I started to get a little restless, I tried looking for other stuff, but nothing at the other stages appealed to me and pretty soon I was back at the Briggs Stage -- just as the Bluesbusters were returning from a break and going into The Who's 'Baba O'Riley' ... Awesome!

But just when I was about to give it my 'cover of the night award,' they played Deep Purple's 'Hush, Hush,' which normally wouldn't grab me, but the Bluesbusters version featured a jaw-dropping organ solo... The band continued, playing some Springsteen, some Mellencamp, among other classic rock staples, and then -- for the finale -- an amped-up version of Dylan's 'Like A Rolling Stone' ... While the band, now with all 13 of its members lined up on stage, rocked out and whaled into their mics, the crowd was on its feet, dancing and clapping. One of those scenes where you can't help but look around and smile at everybody having so much fun. No one seemed to notice the song was going on and on and on, I swear the band looped the song like three times ...

There was one crusty old guy sitting in front of me, however, who wasn't enjoying the music as much ... About midway through the show, he began berating the band for not playing anything he apparently wanted to hear, even getting in a 'You Suck!' during a break in one of the songs. Then, after yelling a bit more and shouting, 'Play something good! ... this isn't rock n' roll!!' the guy threw up his arms and stormed away from the seating area ... to the smiles and laughter of the crowd sitting around him. It was so good, it was as if the band had staged it, like one of those angry audience members in skits on 'Late Night with Conan O'Brien.'

... The Bluesbusters finally went off at about 9:15 p.m., and while there had been some empty seats throughout the area, the crowd swelled very quickly and began packing in for the Go-Gos show ... in the meantime, I had finished my bucket of Mountain Dew and badly needed to get to a restroom. And I had a sixth row, center seat that I did not want to lose. Luckily the burly bald guy next to me agreed to save it for me. ... Thanks Burly Bald Guy!

... As the crowd grew, I was pleased to see I wasn't the only guy in the audience -- as I had previously feared. No surprise, there were several packs of 30 or 40-something women who no doubt idolized the Go-Gos back in the day and were strying to recapture some of the magic on this night (I caught one group of women wearing matching T-shirts that said 'Vogos: 2006 Reunion Tour' which I took as some sort of inside joke; another woman sitting a couple rows in front of me was sporting a 1983 Tour t-shirt), but there was also a nice mix of families, older teens and 20-somethings, and middle-aged guys (like the superfan in front of me, who I think pulled a tattered piece of paper from his wallet that was scribbled full with Go-Gos setlists and notes, and he was telling Go-Gos story upon story to the couple sitting on the other side of me...).

... and as 10 p.m. got closer, I noticed my anxiety level actually increase a bit, and I thought: this might be my most-anticipated show of this year's Summerfest -- but only behind the Guster show next weekend ...

... and then it started pouring!!! ... But nothing to fear. The Briggs stage is situated under the interstae overpass. So while rain soaked the rest of the grounds and spectacular ligtning flashed across the Milwaukee skyline, we were completely dry!! ... Ha!

... Finally the recorded music stopped. The stage lights dimmed ... A soft chord started coming from the speakers, slowly picking up speed and volume like a drum roll and then there they were, taking the stage one by one, each of them bobbing and swaying to the beats like the pop-punk princesses they are -- Jane Wiedlin, Belinda Carlisle, Charlotte Caffey, Kathy Valentine and Gina Schock.

It was sooooooo sweet.

Seconds later, the guitars were strapped on and 'Our Lips Are Sealed' was being played in force ... (watch the original video here! ...whoah '80s!!)


The girls plowed through all of their hits, in addition to some of their other popular tracks from then and now (Get Up And Go, Lust To Love, Skidmarks on My Heart), playing every one of them with punked-up, loud, heavy, roaring guitars ... Meanwhile California girl Carlisle belted out every tune just the way I'd always seen her, swaying to the beat, tapping, beating a tamborine and bopping around the stage -- I could barely take my eyes off her all night ... Just as charming was Wiedlin, dressed in a white shirt with a pink tie around her neck. She too was constantly jumping around the stage, occasionally dancing alongside Carlisle, and beaming with glee, appearing to be having as much fun as anyone ...

Before we knew it, the girls were ending their first set with 'Vacation' (awesome!) ...

... a short break, and then they were out again for a short encore. Kathy Valentine started it off by telling the crowd, 'We've played Milwaukee before, but we've never played Summerfest ... wow. Wow!' ... she then noted Wiedlin was from Milwaukee and Wiedlin picked up the commentary, explaining the 'sad day' in 1985 when Carlisle left the group to embark on a solo career, 'and we thought what's she ever going to do with us,' Wiedlin said. 'Then she goes off and sells 5 zillion records. So right now we're going to play her first hit ...'

It was a nice intro to 'Mad About You.' ... Once again, Carlisle was at the mic belting out the vocals. And the rest of the girls were adding background vocals and heavy guitars, making for yet another sweet, rocked-up version of a song that normally passes for something on an easy listening station ...



After thanking the crowd, Carlisle announced the band's last song would be a cover from one of the original girl groups, a version of the The Shangri-Las 'Walking in the Sand.' ... It was probably the lightest tune the group had done all night ...

By 11:30 it was all over, and I was on my way to catch the shuttle back home again ... and I was beaming.

...Now I've had Go-Gos songs playing in my head for most of the day, and when Kates and I picked up our Sunday night Chinese food earlier tonight, I couldn't resist and stopped in at the record store (c'mon! it's right next to the Chinese place! ...) and went straight to the G's in search of Go-Gos records. A couple minutes later, I was paying for vinyl copies of 'Vacation' and 'Beauty And The Beat' ...

'The Go-Gos, huh?' the clerk said.

'Yep.'

'Back in my day, we used to call them The Pretenders because we didn't think they could play, we thought they were pretending. But they put out some pretty good albums. They were really good ...'

... Uh, yeah! ... They're still good ... In the time it's taken me to write this post, I've had both albums going on the turntable and I think I've played both sides of both albums three or four times ...

ALSO SEE:
a My Summerfest preparation: 'It's here baby!!'
a My Summerfest Day #1
a My Summerfest Day #3
a My Summerfest Day #4
a My Summerfest Day #5

Summerfest. Day #1

Let the musical adventures begin.

Still fighting through the dog of a week I was having, I never did make it up to Summerfest Thursday night for Elvis Costello or Keane ...

So my first Summerfest '06 visit had to wait for last night ... With my iPod carrying me all the way, I made the trek to the Ryan Road parking lot to catch the shuttle bus. But fat chance finding a spot there. The lot was as full as I'd ever seen it -- cars were packed into every available nook and cranny, in addition to the grassy areas surrounding the lot. I had no choice but to go to the overflow lot at McDonald's, which I figured would be free -- just like the regular lot. Nope. $5 bucks ... Grrrrrrrr. Though they tried to ease the pain with a fat sign that said 'Get a Ticket = $10, Park Here Legally = $5' ...

Whatever.

Then -- after I had given my only $5-bill to the parking attendant -- I boarded the shuttle and learned the powers-that-be raised the rates this year from $5 to $6. My smallest bill was a $10, and the driver wasn't giving change.

"You really wanna put that in there?" he tells me as I'm starting to put my $10 in the slot.

"Well I gotta get on."

"Wait." ... Mr. Bus Driver then takes the $10 out of my hands and, proceeds to hand me four $1 bills from the next four people who board the bus with the exact $6 fare. Whatta guy ...
An uneventful shuttle ride later, we were pulling up to the grounds, and I realized parking at the grounds is $15 -- so even as much as it hurt to pay $11 for parking and a bus ride to the grounds, I still saved ... yes!

... Minutes later, I was off the bus and walking under that pearly white Summerfest gate -- One of my favorite moments of the summer -- at about 7:30. Then, the carnival of people watching began ... Greasy guys with leather skin who have no business walking around shirtless. A large party of women wearing identical black tops. Piercings galore. Droves of Harley groupies. Middle-aged men getting as drunk as frat boys. Leather pants. Cowboys. Enough cleavage to hold the ocean. And I probably breathed in enough second-hand smoke to give me cancer tomorrow ...

But hey, I'm not complainin ...

In the middle of the grounds, of course, was the same Ecuadorian band playing their recorders, guitars, percussive intstruments -- and the same sound they seem to play over and over each year ... And then, of course, Neil Diamond's 'Sweet Caroline' was playing every time I walked through the Miller Lite Oasis ...

... I reacquainted myself with the grounds, perusing some of the exhibit tents and entering a few contests along the way. Then I grabbed one of those mongo bacon cheeseburgers from Major Goolsby's and found a picnic table in front of the Briggs & Stratton stage where KB & the Kim Hayes Band was taking the stage, and I planned to see Steppenwolf later in the night ...

But when I finished my burger and the Kim Hayes Band had failed to grab me, I decided to take a walk. ... Eventually I landed as at the Classic Rock Stage where an R&B-type band was playing a nice cover of Michael Jackson's 'Shake Your Body' And I was even more pleased when I realized the woman doing the lead vocals was none other than Erin Albrecht, who we saw last year as a member of The Heroes. Not only did I looooooove watching her and The Heroes last year, I'd say she has the chops to rival just about any female pop star around. And she and her band showed it again last night with a couple more covers and a spot-on performance of No Doubt's 'Hella Good.'


... I soon found my way back to the Briggs & Stratton stage where the Kim Hayes Band (above)was still playing ... The band was a quintet (a female bassist, two male guitarists, Kim on an electric and a drummer), but with Kim doing most of the lead vocals, they had a decent sound similar to a Melissa Etheridge. Although their set order was a little odd -- they'd play a harder rock tune, and then play some dull ballad and squelch any energy they were getting from the crowd ...

Ah, but I will give them the award for cover of the night: a grrrrrrrreat rendition of 'Honky Tonk Woman.' ... I once saw Etheridge and Sammy Hagar do a version of it together on a VH1 special, and I've never forgotten it. The version Hayes and her band did last night was just as good. That and the song is on my list of all-time favorite rock n' roll tunes ...

Finally, John Kay and Steppenwolf took the stage at exactly 10 p.m. ... Having little knowledge about Steppenwolf, I had no idea what to expect. It was only on a recommendation this week from one of my cohorts that I decided to go see them. That, and I relished the idea of hearing 'Magic Carpet Ride' (another one of my all-time favorite rock tunes) and 'Born To Be Wild' sung by the man who made them famous.

... But it was given those were going to be the last songs they'd perform. Soooooo I waited. Patiently.

...While I expected the performance to have at least a little edge to it, as a whole it was a bit of a letdown. The band did little to stave off an 'aging rockers' image. They lacked animation on the stage and did little to energize the crowd. And it didn't help that Kay, between almost every song, gave short political sermons against the war and the lack of leadership by the current administration. Not that I disagreed with him -- it's just not what I came for. In fact, the Steppenwolf show was the first Summerfest headliner I've seen where the majority of the crowd stayed seated for most of the show.

... For most of the show, my mind was with Steppenwolf, but my heart was with Everclear, which was playing at the same time on the opposite side of the grounds.

Finally. Finally! Kay enticed the crowd, saying 'I want us all to do these next couple songs together and remember the good times we had with them.' ... You knew exactly what was coming. And then, there it was, that droning organ and screaming guitar riff that make the opening of 'Magic Carpet Ride.' And Kay burst into the lyrics: 'I like to dream yes, yes, right between my sound machine ...'

Suddenly, the entire crowd had exploded to their feet. Hands were in the air. People were dancing and whaling. It was exactly the way I had pictured it ...

Then the group moved effortlessly into 'Born To Be Wild.' And it was just as amazing ...
As soon as it was over, I was leaving my seat, leaving no time to see whether Steppenwolf was doing an encore (I had gotten what I came for ... Although Steppenwolf was returning to the stage by the time I was back at the concourse area, but I wasn't staying around'). The only thing on my mind was trying to catch the end of the Everclear show ...

I begin my hike to the other side of the grounds, and as I'm passing the next stage over, there's Lynyrd Skynyrd delving into 'Free Bird.' ... With a grin coming over my face, I let out a soft 'wow' and mused that my timing couldn't have been better. I had forgotten Lynyrd Skynyrd was playing last night, not to mention the performance was one of a few CMT is filming at Summerfest this weekend. So crane-operated cameras were swirling all over the stage area, and the place was jam-packed with people ... It took me almost the duration of the song to get through the crowd, but I didn't mind ...

And then, when I though my luck couldn't get any better, I came on to the next stage as Los Lonely Boys were playing 'Heaven.'

Ah, but my luck eventually did run out ... I finally got to the other side of the grounds to find empty bleachers and a bunch of stage crews packing up the area where Everclear had just finished playing ... darn.

Back to the shuttle bus. And I was home at 12:30 a.m. ... but even then, the music shuffling on my iPod was so good, I spent another five minutes sitting in my car, in the garage soaking up the music ...

Not bad for Summerfest, Day No. 1

ALSO SEE:
a My Summerfest preparation: 'It's here baby!!'
a My Summerfest Day #2
a My Summerfest Day #3
a My Summerfest Day #4
a My Summerfest Day #5